clark



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. E. CLARK.

FLOATING DOCK.

Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

H H H Fig 5 Fig 4 ELEVATION (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. E. CLARK.

, FLOATING DOCK.

No. 601,554. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

Fig 5.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

L. E. CLARK. FLOATING DOCK.

No. 601,554. Patented Mar.29,1898.

we uonms PEYEflS co. mom-Luna, wnumnrou. D. a.

Nrrnn STATES LYONEL EDWIN CLARK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLOATING DOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,554, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed September 9, 1897. serial No. 651,137. (No d l.) Patented in England November 11, 1895, No. 21,305.

any or every portion of the same can be got at for the purposes of inspection or repair without the aid of divers or any separate structure or structures-and also of a means whereby the same end can be obtained when an ordinary floating dock is used more or less as a graving-dock-that is to say, when bulwarks, gates, or caissons have been fitted to the'ends of the said dock for forming, with its vertical sides or walls, a pound, from which water can be pumped out. I attain this end by making the floating dock of two side walls and of three or more pontoons or caissons, which run transversely across the dock from one side wall to the other. Each of these caissons is a distinct and separate structure complete in itself, and each is separately connected to the side walls by means of a bolted or other form of easily-removable joint.

tween the two walls, and it does not pass under or beyond the said walls in any way. This allows the walls to be built in the form of a continuous structure over their whole height and does not lessen their longitudinal strength as girders, as is the case in some forms of docks where the body is also constructed in the form of separate caissons, but which caissons pass under the walls, to the bottom of which they are attached. In this casethe walls practically sit on the top of the pontoons, and in consequence have their height as continuous girders reduced by the height of the pontoons and their longitudinal strength proportionally weakened.

My invention also comprises the feature of forming a pound with a dock having the body composed of independent caissons. This I The width of every caisson is consequently always less than the distance beaccomplish by forming water-tight joints between the contiguous edges of adjacent caissons and providing the required gates or bulkheads. Thus in the construction herein shown and described when thefloating dock is to be used more or less as a graving-dockthat is to say, when a pound is to be formed from which water can be pumped out, so that by the pumping out of water from this pound the lifting power of the dock may be increased-I prefer to form the caissons with their sides raised to the height, or thereabout,

of the gates, caissons, or bulwarks which are to close in the ends of the pound, and I also close up the spaces between the separate caissons. To effect this, I prolong the end of the side plating of the upwardly-extended sides and also the ends of the deck-plating of those pontoons which are in juxtaposition to each other. This extension of the plating forms, therefore, a sort of projecting flange at the end of the caissons. These projecting flanges are then joined together by any form of removable water-tight joint, a preferable form being that of an iron strip having on its under side an india-rubber or other packing, This strip is bolted to the respective flanges that come opposite each other, and the packing, being compressed by the bolts, makes the said joint water-tight. Any other form of joint, however, may be used, providing that it renders the joints between contiguous caissons water-tight and converts the decks and sides of these into one continuous water-tight trough.

It willbe evident from the above that the gates, bulwarks, or other structures with which the ends of the dock are fitted are attached to or made tight against each end caisson of the series and not to the walls themselves, and the pound is formed by the caissons and their extensions and is inde pendent of the walls. The said caissons or gates take into slots or against sills riveted to the decks of the pontoons and extending up the raised sides of these, the edges or bottoms of the gates or caissons making themselves tight against the said slots or sills. There is no special position for these slots or sills, which 'may be placed anywhere across the decks of the pontoons, and, indeed, it is preferable in some cases to have more than one series of slots or sills, so that the position of the caissons or gates may be adjusted to suit the length of the ship on the dock, thereby concentrating the lifting power of the dock and its pound directly under or nearly under the vessel to be lifted, and thus avoiding all strains either to dock or vessel from the overhanging portion-that is to say, that portion of the dock on which the ship does not hear.

The following is the method preferably followed when it is required to self-dock one of these improved docks. In the first case all or nearly all the water is pumped out of the interior of the compartments of the dock. Workmen then descend between the sides of the caissons and the walls, having first in the case of the graving-dock removed the special joint on the decks and sides of the caissons hereinbefore described. They then disconnect, preferably, alternate cassions; but any one caisson may, if desired, be specially-removed, or any number of caissons, providing, however, that sufficient be left so as to keep the walls together in'their proper position. When the caisson or caissons are unbolted, they,being separate complete structures, float free of the dock and can be treated in any of the following ways: They may be completely towed from the dock and repaired elsewhere, or they may be docked in the ordinary manner on the remaining caisson or caissons, or, what is a preferable manner, the dock withits remaining caisson or caissons can be lowered under water to such an extent that the decks of the fixed caissons that is, those attached to the wallscome some three feet below the level of the bottom ofthe caissons that are floating free; These latter are then reattached to the walls at this level and the dock, being pumped out, rises again and brings up with it the detached caissons, which, now being made fast'to the walls at the higher level, have theirbottoms, when the dock has been lifted as much as necessary, well above the water-line and can be easilygot at in all their parts.

A convenient form of dock is one where the body of the dock is made up of five separate but similar caissons, and a convenient way of docking these is to deal first with the two outside and the middle caissons in the manner, described. After examination or repair these "are replaced in their original positions by a process which is the inverse of that adopted, for raising them, and then the two intermediate caissons are dealt with in their turn.

'By this means of procedure the dock willalways be in a condition of equilibrium in a fore 'and aft sense. In this manner the whole The remaining portion of lifted intwo operations, these consisting in alternately heeling the dock first one side "an'd then the other, by which means the bottoms ofthe said walls are alternately brought out of" the water.

A suitable form of dock is one where the bottom of the wall in its normal position does not extend below water to the same extent as that of the caissons, as in this case the angle of heel required to get the bottom of any wall out of water is very small.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of an ordinary floating dock constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with one of the side walls removed. Fig. 3 is a plan. Figs. 4 are a sectional elevation and plan to a larger scale, showing a detail. which the dock is self-docked. Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations with one side Wall removed. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of Fig. 5, and Fig.8 is an end elevation showing the dock tilted. Figs. 9 to 12 show a modification, Fig. 9 being a side elevation with one of the side walls removed, Fig. 10 an end elevation, Fig. 11 an end elevation with the central part in section, and Fig. 12 a section, to a larger scale, of a detail.

The dock shown in Figs. 1 to 8 consists of two hollow walls W, extending from top to bottom of the dock, and five separate caissons or pontoons 1 to 5 form the floor. At each end of the pontoons vertical projecting lugs are fixed, preferably T-irons A, as shown to a larger scale at Fig. 4. Two rows of similar projecting lugs A and A are fixed to the inside of each of the walls IV. The lugs A on the pontoons and the lugs A on the walls are connected together by cover-plates O and pins and collars B, or bolts and nuts or the like might be used. Figs. 5 to 7-show the method in which the pontoons are docked. 5 and 7 the pontoons 2 and 4 have been disconnected from the lugs A by the removal of the pins and cover-plates, and the dock has been lowered under water until the lugs A A onthe caissons have come level with the upper lugs A A on the wall. (See Fig. 7.) The caissons are then made fast in this upper position, and the dock, being pumped out, brings the caissons out of water, as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 shows how the alternate caissons 1 3 5 are lifted in the same manner. Fig. 8 shows the method adopted for getting the under-water'portion of one of the walls out of water, the dock being careened to the opposite angle when the other wall is to be got at in its turn. Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12 show the arrangement adopted when a floating dock has been fitted with gates or bulkheads. Fig.

9 shows a side elevation of such a dock (one wall having been removed for convenience of illustration) fitted at one end with a movable gateG and at the other with a fixed bulkhead B. Fig. 10 shows an end elevation of thesame, and Fig. 11 a section showing two forms in which the side plating of the caissons is extended upward to about the height of the gate or bulkhead used-to close the ends. On theleft-hand side of the section the deck of the caisson d is sloped upward, so as to meet the side plating-s of the caisson, also carried Figs. 5 to 8 illustrate the manner in In Figs.

up above the general dock-level, and on the right-hand side of the section the deck-plating d is continued horizontal across the whole width of the caisson and the side plating s only is carried up to the required level. The same figures show the iron strip 1), with its india-rubber lining a, that makes the joint between the decks and sides of the caissons. At the left the jointis formed by the parts a I) along the horizontal and upwardly-sloping parts of the deck-plating, while at the right the joint is formed horizontally along the deck-plating and then vertically along the edges of the upwardly-extending side plating. Fig. 12 shows an enlarged detail of the same joint, d cl being the prolongation of the decks or sides of the caissons, a the india-rubber strip, and b the iron strip, 0 0 being the bolts that hold the parts together and compress the india-rubber, the said bolts passing, preferably, through oval holes in the deck or side, so that any expansion or contraction of the caissons may take place freely without straining the joint. The method adopted for selfdocking these caissons and the walls of the dock is the same as that described in the case of the ordinary dock shown in Figs. 1 to 8, with the exception that the strips a and b have to be removed by men descending between the sides of the caissons and walls and penetrating into the spaces between the pontoons, as previously described; or, if preferred, studs or set-screws may be used for the above joint, thus obviating the necessity of men penetrating underneath the deck-platin g before the caissons are disconnected in the way described.

What I claim is 1. A fioatingdock comprising side walls and independent transverse caissons or pontoons forming the body of the dock and respectively detachably connected to and between the side walls, substantially as set forth.

2. A floating dock comprising side walls, independent transverse caissons or pontoons forming the body of the dock, attaching devices secured to the inner faces of the side walls in two horizontal planes, and corresponding attaching devices formed upon the respective ends of the caissons, substantially as set forth.

3. A floating dock comprising side walls having upon their inner faces vertical caisson-attachin g lugs or ribs, independent transverse caissons forming the body of the dock and each having its ends formed with correends formed with corresponding attaching lugs or ribs, and means for securing together the corresponding lugs on the caissons and walls respectively, substantially as set forth.

5. A floating dock comprising side walls, independent caissons forming the body of the dock, means for forming water-tight joints between the contiguous edges of adjacent caissons, and gates or bulkheads to form a pound.

6. A floating dock comprising side walls, independent removable caissons forming the body of the dock and detachably connected to and between the side walls, means for forming water-tight joints between the contiguous edges of adjacent caissons, and gates or bulkheads to form a pound.

7. A floating dock comprising side Walls, independent caissons forming the body of the dock and of greater height at their ends, means for forming detachable water-tight connections between adjacent caissons, means for detachably connecting the ends of the caissons to and between the side walls, and gates or bulkheads to form a pound, substantially as set forth.

LYONEL EDW'IN CLARK.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. WHITEHEAD, W. M. HARRIS. 

